2wd vs. 4wd

[I6FREAK]

I need some experienced advice from you guys who live in weather that often gets snow/ice . I just had a new vp in and I installed a raptor 100 running around 18 ish psi....my truck is a 2wd...before I start getting too crazy with my effort to make the truck as reliable as possible and efficient I want to make sure that 2wd will not disappoint me in the long run... I have been off roading for 20 years, but not with such a long truck without 4wd...I am itching for a stick shift... I don't care about power as I care about reliability so the raptor is the only aftermarket part on the truck that would be considered a performance mod... I consider it a necessary to keep fuel stats safe all the time..my truck runs awesome but I don't know if it will have the traction I need....I will not be mudding....

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

what state are you in?

[I6FREAK]

I'm in California, but I was asking about other states, ya know the ones that actually have seasons..lol

[thracing]

your 2wd would be no good here. as soon as the snow hits here you would be parking it

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

your 2wd would be no good here. as soon as the snow hits here you would be parking it

same here in colorado. until the surface roads get cleared. Our rigs put down so much power in 2wd that it just sits there and spins... I have to run 4wd all the time in snow or i just wont get any traction due to excessive torque. I do run 2wd when i want to slide round corners though when the snow gets real bad... more than 2-3 feet i deflate to get maximum traction and utilize my exhaust brake to do 90% of my stopping. Combined with not following close and reducing speed i have zero issues in 4wd deflated tires. Get a 4wd as a second vehicle.

[stodg73]

Depending on what you are doing, a 2wd is very good. You can put some weight in the back and if you have decent tires, you should be able to get around if you drive safely. Other instances you will need tire chains, not cables. Or like CUMMINSPOWER suggested, you could get a small 4wd like I have. I know that Mike(M1973M) had one of these for sale a while ago.

[dripley]

i drove 2wd's in the snow with no problem prior to owning my 02. i carried some extra weight and ususally a bed full of snow also. but i must say that i did not have to drive in the snow alot and all my driving was on roads and never offroad.

[I6FREAK]

Depending on what you are doing, a 2wd is very good. You can put some weight in the back and if you have decent tires, you should be able to get around if you drive safely. Other instances you will need tire chains, not cables. Or like CUMMINSPOWER suggested, you could get a small 4wd like I have.

I know that Mike(M1973M) had one of these for sale a while ago.

I've have a 4x4 jeep already, but I think I will look for a 4x4 Cummins that can tow all my stuff... maybe a 5 speed but they are so rare here....when they are available they are around 12 k.... California is a joke...lol..

Thanks very much for the input.

[Mopar1973Man]

What?!

4WD and Tire Chains are for wussies...

We get 4-5 foot of snow every year in New Meadows, ID I travel that road all the time with just 2WD and no chains.

The only time I use 4WD is when I'm stuck or climbing grades. When the grade is ove the typical 7% then I chain up. because its just to easy to start slipping and sliding around.

Oh as for the Jeep its still for sale...

[thracing]

no offence mich but with roads plowed that nice i would run in 2wd too lol. over here anyone in the country ,we have too break are own trails,out to a main road 80% of the time so 4wd is not only a must but a way of life, the only 2wd you see here are in town or the bigger citys

[Wild and Free]

I have gone way more places in a heavily weighted posi or limited slip 2wd pickup with chains than I have ever gotten with any 4wd unless the snow was just plain too deep. This is always easier with an auto than a manual also especially in super slick conditions no matter mud or ice.

[dripley]

ice is a whole differant ball game. 4wd or 2wd, when its ice you just need to get off of it if at all possible. i see people in 4wd that think thats all you need to drive on ice and there the ones who end up in the gaurd rail or worse. a manual is tricky for sure. down shifted one day approaching what i thought was ice and found out i was on it. that was exciting, fortunately my dirt track skills came in handy.

[RJC2]

Jeeps, 4X4's, and Cummins. I have a friend who combined all three. He put a 4 cly. Cummins from a wrecked bread truck in his Jeep. Sorry, back on topic. I much like Mike find 4X4 only necessary occasionally. But when you need it, you really need it. Chains are a lot of help.

[ISX]

We got maybe a half inch of snow this morning. Wrecks everywhere and the whole speil we always get. My back tires are bald now and I have no weight in the back of the truck. Every time I took off it would just spin so I just sat there listening to the radio and eventually the truck would start moving. This was in 1st gear idling so the tires were barely turning and once they grabbed I would be on my way. It is a little tricky some times but I've never had to be pulled out of anywhere. With good tires and a few engine blocks against the tailgate, I can get everywhere I need to go. The only issue is getting the truck to move, once it's moving it is fine, this is the reason I leave the idle really low so I can start off in 1st gear idling and it goes so slow that it pretty well has a very slim chance of slipping. Aside from that, it is 10x easier to work on a 2wd truck. I don't have an axle, transfer case, driveshaft, 4wd lever to mess with, it's wonderful. For that alone I would keep my 2wd even in Alaska. They make snowmobiles for a reason.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

i dont run with any weight in the back, yes it would give traction but it is just that much more weight to try and stop in an emergency.I try to run in 2wd but i hate holding up traffic or putting myself in a bad position to be rear ended by Mr. Idiot yapping on his crackberry/forcing food into his mouth/messing with his gps/driving at the same time. So i just run in 4wd most of the time once i find i dont have traction in 2wd.plus running in 4wd and using the exhaust brake/downshifting makes for fast stops without touching the regular brakes. I know this as i have people behind me following too close when i decelerate in this method and they are swerving everywhere not to hit me. I do apply the regular brakes once i am in a safe controlled stop.To each their own though, preference and situation dictates who does what with their driving style and no one is wrong or right. Do what works best for you and your experience/situation

[dripley]

"crackberry":lmao::lmao2:i like that.i agree on the driving style. you gotta do works best for you. i never 4wd in the past so i had to do with a 2wd, never had alot of problems with it.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

"crackberry":lmao::lmao2:i like that. i agree on the driving style. you gotta do works best for you. i never 4wd in the past so i had to do with a 2wd, never had alot of problems with it.

you do get used to driving with what you have, im sure if i only had 2wd my driving style would be much different and better experienced.

[MarbleCrusher]

I rarely use my 4x4 on the road there are a few hills that the few times a year it gets icy here I have to use 4x4 but not often. Now out feeding or vaccinating cattle or trying to get to some fields is can be a whoooole different story lol

[Blueox01]

One thing about 2wd,it gives no false sense of security on snow/ice.

[CUMMINSDIESELPWR]

One thing about 2wd,it gives no false sense of security on snow/ice.

i get my sense of security to find out if im on ice when i see others skid off the road... everyonce in a while i will drop it into 2wd and gas it, if the backend walks out on me i know to be more attentive and slow down a bit, more lead time. I dont trust the 4wd like you said, so i do this test here and there.